Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 19 Verses 183-184

SYNONYMS

bhakta-bhede -- according to varieties of devotees; rati-bheda -- the different attachments; panca parakara -- five categories; santi-rati -- neutral appreciation; dasya-rati -- attachment in a service attitude; sakhya-rati -- attachment by friendly appreciation; ara -- also; vatsalya-rati -- attachment by parental affection; madhura-rati -- attachment by conjugal love; ei -- these; panca -- five; vibheda -- divisions; rati-bhede -- by attachment on different platforms; krishna-bhakti-rase -- in mellows derived from devotional service to Krishna; panca -- five; bheda -- varieties.

TRANSLATION

"According to the devotee, attachment falls within the five categories of santa-rati, dasya-rati, sakhya-rati, vatsalya-rati and madhura-rati. These five categories arise from devotees' different attachments to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The transcendental mellows derived from devotional service are also of five varieties.

PURPORT

Santa-rati is described in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (2.5.16-18) as follows:

manase nirvikalpatvam

sama ity abhidhiyate

"When one is completely free from all doubts and material attachments, he attains the neutral position, called santa."

vihaya vishayonmukhyam nijananda-sthitir yatah

atmanah kathyate so 'tra svabhavah sama ity asau

prayah sama-pradhananam mamata-gandha-varjita

paramatmataya krishne jata santa-ratir mata

The santa-rati realization of Krishna is in the neutral stage between the conception of impersonalism and personalism. This means that one is not very strongly attached to the personal feature of the Lord. An appreciation of the greatness of the Lord is called santa-rati. This is attachment not to the personal feature but to the impersonal feature. Generally, one in this stage is attached to the Paramatma feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrid-dese 'rjuna tishthati

bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya

"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine made of the material energy." (Bg. 18.61) On the strength of this statement from the Bhagavad-gita, we can understand that in santa-rasa a devotee sees the Lord's representation everywhere.

Dasya-rati is explained in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (2.5.27) thus:

svasmad bhavanti ye nyunas te 'nugrahya harer matah

aradhyatvatmika tesham ratih pritir itirita

tatrasakti-krid anyatra priti-samharini hy asau

When the Supreme Lord in His localized aspect is appreciated and a great devotee understands his subordinate position, not only does he surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but, due to his subordinate position, he wishes to render some service and thus become favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee in santa-rati is not very much willing to render service to the Lord, but a devotee in dasya-rati voluntarily wants to render service. Due to this attitude, the devotee in dasya-rati realizes the Supreme Personality of Godhead more fully than a devotee in santa-rati. He considers the Lord to be a worshipable object, and this means that his attachment for the Lord increases. Thus dasya-rati is characterized as bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. (Bhag. 11.2.42) In other words, on the dasya-rati platform a devotee is attached to rendering service to the Lord, and he is detached from material activities. Santa-rati is neither material nor spiritual, but dasya-rati is actually on the spiritual platform. There is no attachment for material things on the spiritual platform (viraktir anyatra ca). A devotee in dasya-rati has no attachment for anything but Krishna's service.

Sakhya-rati is described in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (2.5.30) as follows:

ye syus tulya mukundasya te sakhayah satam matah

samyad visrambha-rupaisham ratih sakhyam ihocyate

According to the opinion of advanced devotees and learned scholars, a devotee in sakhya-rati feels equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is a relationship in friendship. Due to having a friendly relationship with the Lord, not only is one free from material attachment, but one believes in equal dealings with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sakhya-rati. The sakhya-rati devotee is so advanced that he treats the Lord on an equal level and even exchanges joking words with Him. Although one is never equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sakhya-rati devotee feels equal to the Lord, and he does not feel guilty because of this. Usually it is offensive to consider oneself equal to the Lord. The Mayavadis, for example, consider themselves equal to the Lord, but such feelings entail bereavement because they are material. Sakhya-rati, however, is a feeling experienced in the mind by a pure devotee, and he is eternally related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in that feeling.

Vatsalya-rati is described as follows in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (2.5.33):

guravo ye harer asya te pujya iti visrutah

anugraha-mayi tesham ratir vatsalyam ucyate

idam lalana-bhavyasis cibuka-sparsanadi-krit

When a living entity is situated on the platform of vatsalya-rati, he thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His childhood feature. In this feature, the Lord has to be protected by the devotee, and at this time the devotee takes the position of being worshiped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These feelings of parental love are called vatsalya-rati. When the devotee is situated on this platform, he wants to maintain the Lord like a son, and he desires all good fortune for the Lord. He offers blessings to the Lord by touching His feet and head.

Madhura-rati, or attachment in conjugal love, is described as follows:

mitho harer mrigakshyas ca sambhogasyadi-karanam

madhurapara-paryaya priyatakhyodita ratih

asyam kataksha-bhru-kshepa-priya-vani-smitadayah

Madhura-rati, the conjugal relationship experienced between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the young damsels of Vrajabhumi, continuously exists in eight kinds of remembrances. This intimate relationship brought about by conjugal love produces movements of the eyebrows, glancing, sweet words and exchanges of joking words.

<<< >>>

Buy Online Copyright (c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness